My 25 Picks

My list, my opinion. I'm sorry if you had seen one (or all of them) and didn't really like it (or all 25). But if there's a movie here that you have not seen, I closely recommend you go ahead and see it. Soon. Or right after reading this.

So let's count them down...

25) Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Since Romeo and Juliet has become so overrated, I consider this my favorite Shakespearean work that has graced the big screen. This was Kate Beckinsale's debut film and she was just lovely in the role of Hero; while Robert Sean Leonard, as her wronged lover Claudio, was a dream come true. Shakespearean actors Kenneth Branagh, as Benedick, and (his then real-life wife) Emma Thompson, as Beatrice, were in their element as usual. And the lovely cast didn't end there. Denzel Washington was charming as Don Pedro of Aragon and Keanu Reeves was in a villainous role as Don John. Lovely!

24) The New World (2005)
You should see this if only to watch Q'Oranka Kilcher give a very powerful, very riveting performance as Pocahontas. And the sounds of nature in this one is pure heaven. We all know that John Smith never married--which is very un-Colin Farrell (if you know what I mean). But that made him perfect for the role because he always has this roguish look (both on and off screen) that makes you wonder of he just loves to play with a woman or if he simply loves her. And Christian Bale as John Rolfe was another dream come true. This movie was wonderfully made and tugs at your heartstrings like crazy. I could not watch it after the second time because it was too emotionally draining for me. But I'm gonna get a copy because I'm sure to watch it again--be it ten years from now. I could never say no to a true love story.

23) Wicker Park (2004)
Those Josh Hartnett eyes makes you wanna melt. Sheesh! As Matthew, I would give anything to be his Lisa. Now, Diane Kruger played her beautifully. And Rose Byrne, as Alex, was the villain I love to hate. Love does move in mysterious ways--but a lot freakier and darker here than most. Even with all the human factors involved in the trickery in this movie, it showed though that Fate still has a hand in (re-)uniting souls together.

22) King Arthur (2004)
Period pieces are my kind of movies. Add Clive Owen as the mythical Arthur, Keira Knightley as Guinevere, and Ioan Gruffudd as Lancelot and we are all set. Produced by his holiness Jerry Bruckheimer and with a tagline about 'the story behind the legend', there's no way this one won't be included in my current list.21) Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
Believe it or not, I love war movies. That especially goes with stories set within the main conflict--like this one. Gene Hackman, as Admiral Leslie McMahon Reigart, was amazing (as usual) and Owen Wilson was so un-Owen Wilson as Lt. Chris Burnett. I just love him! And recon gone wrong was a cool plot. The twists in the movie were so unexpected--hence, a twist...duh!--I almost had a heart attack everytime I thought Burnett was gonna get caught. My fave scene has gotta be when he hid in a mass grave. Damn!

20) Iron Jawed Angels (2004)
Movies based on true events are cool. But those that are tastefully done are the best. And this HBO Original fits the bill quite nicely. I loved watching Hilary Swank portray Alice Paul because not only did she do it magnificently, it was also a relief to see her not trying to be a boy for a change. Frances O'Connor, as Lucy Burns, made it look so 'easy' to be a heroine by forcing Washington to listen to their cause--right of suffrage for American women. And picketing the White House--during wartime America--has gotta be the focal point of both the movie and the real events that inspired it.

19) Black Hawk Down (2001)
This is here purely for selfish reasons: It's raining men! Josh Hartnett, Orlando Bloom, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, Ron Eldard, Ioan Gruffudd, Carmine Giovinazzo, Enrique Murciano. Ahem. Okay, back to Earth. Fantasy-causing reason aside, it's a Ridley Scott film and produced by my friend Jerry B. So what more could you want? So not many people enjoy two hours of whizzing bullets, RPGs launching, 'We got a Black hawk down' squawking on the radio, blown body parts, and dead soldiers. But those are the sounds and sights or war. No use sugarcoating it.

18) Frequency (2000)
There's no denying it, I love Jim Caviezel. That might sound sacrilegious because we all know he played JC. But this was the movie that made me first notice him. Dennis Quaid played his dad and it goes without saying how lovely-looking their family was. Now, what would you do if you found out that you can talk to your father and even yourself from 30 years ago through an old (but the same) ham radio? This film is all about justice and second chances with a sci-fi twist.
17) Crazy/Beautiful (2001)
Teenybopper flicks are not my cup of tea. But there are a handful that standout. Like this one. Kirsten Dunst plays Nicole Oakley, a congressman's daughter who was on the fast track to the crazier side of the crazy life. Then she met and fell (hard) for Jay Hernandez's Carlos Nuñez, a straight A student from a Mexican family, who rode the bus to school and hoped to get into flight school. And while he got crazy about her, beauty's father 'warned' him from her if he wanted to realize his lifelong dream of flying. But love is a powerful thing and by the end of the movie, everybody won.

16) A Walk to Remember (2002)
No need to explain about this Mandy Moore-Shane West flick. Really. If you don't know Jamie Sullivan and Langdon Carter, let me just give you a shoutout: "How was the trip from Mars? Or was it Pluto?" For me, this isn't a teen movie. It just so happened that the story was in a teen setting. No thanks to the efforts of Nicholas Wring-My-Emotions Sparks. But I doubt if it would have been as poignant and packed a lesser wallop had it been written any other way.

15) The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
My fascination of Jim Caviezel continued as he played Edmond Dantes/the Count of Monte Cristo. Not to mention that I really do worship at the altar of period pieces. From the great storyteller Alexander Dumas (for those who need this newsflash: he wrote The Three Musketeers and The Man in the Iron Mask), it was an instant hit the first time I saw it. And I still love it now--after no less than the fifteen times I've seen it. After all, revenge is a sweet thing.

14) The Harry Potter movies
--The Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
When I went to see the movie, it was pure adventure for me. I had not read the books at the time so I was basically just satisfying my curiosity. What's all the fuss about this kid Harry? But I actually had fun.
--The Chamber of Secrets (2002)
I really had a great time watching this second installment in the series. It was great watching Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione, and Rupert Grint as Ron all grown up but at the same time, still oh-so charming as in the first.
--The Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Up until the sixth book arrived, the third book was my favorite of all Harry Potter books. Because Sirius Black (played by Gary Oldman) was my most favorite character of all. Admittedly, Alfonso Cuaron did a great job making the transition from a mere kids' movie to a darker (kid's) movie--because no matter how you downplay it, Harry Potter's is really a dark story. But there was just something lacking in it that I could not put a finger on. So I was never able to connect to it as much as I had with the first two.
--The Goblet of Fire (2005)
My most favorite Harry Potter movie yet. It was a wonderful interpretation of the book version. I missed Dobby though but it was understandable. Otherwise the movie would have been more than five hours long. Nevertheless, it captured the most important parts, the ones that matter to prepare us for the next adventure. And all the kids looked all grown-up--and played the part, too, what with the Yule ball and the crushes. Personally, after I saw it I became slightly anxious. The fourth book/movie is the pivotal part of the series. He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named is back. That means three adventures more to go and the next thing we know there'll be no more books/movies to wait for. Anticipation is half the fun--that's part of the charm of this franchise. And I just want it to go on and on and on...

13) Notting Hill (1999)
America's sweetheart Julia Roberts is Anna Scott, the world's sweetheart who falls in love with Hugh Grant's Will Thacker--a travel bookshop owner from Notting Hill. They meet, fall in love, and (surprise!) the paparazzi plays third wheel. The story is all too common in the celebrity world but it was told in funny yet tasteful way there's no way you wouldn't not see it from start to finish. Not to mention that the lead actors are the best in the dramedy genre.

12) Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Another period piece, another drooling session. Okay. I doubt if Crusaders looked half as good as Orlando Bloom did in the role of Balian. But that's really beside the point. Seriously, this is a wonderfully made movie. The production did an awesome job on the costumes, the sets, and the battle scenes. It was not an us, us, us movie at all and it was great to have had a peek at what was on the other side. You know what I mean, right? (But I won't discuss that point any further because religious statements, no matter how nicely said, almost always get to be taken the wrong way.) Although nothing beats Orli in his tanned glory, another reason to see this movie is Jeremy Irons. As Tiberias, you get to see just how good a thespian he is.
11) Ice Age (2002)
Fun, fun, fun! That's the first thing that comes to mind when I think about the Ice Age experience. The pink little thing made me cry, Diego was a big heart in a fierce persona, Manfred was simply cuddly, and I'm in love with the adorable Sid. And Scrat, my big-eyed, acorn-loving troublemaker always broke the ice. Pun intended. Before a scene got too serious, Scrat would be there and I'd be all smiles again. I have never been a big fan of animated films but I just couldn't refuse this one--and those innuendoes. A certified tae kwon dodo!

10) The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Musicals are not on top of my weekend movie marathon priorities. But this work of Andrew Lloyd Webber is just the right piece for me to change my mind. It was definitely a breath of fresh air to see Gerard Butler, as the Phantom, singing. And Emily Rossum was just angelic as Christine. I really enjoyed the times I was watching this one, singing along with the soundtrack. "Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime..."

9) The Passion of the Christ (2004)
There's no probably in it--this is one of the most controversial film of my generation. And will most likely be for the next several years to come. There's nothing like religion to get people's reactions, violent or otherwise. From the first time I read about it in a Mel Gibson magazine interview several months leading up to its release, I couldn't help but feel interested, awed, intrigued. And rightly so. You almost forget that it was just a movie. But it got its message across--gathering from the atmosphere in theaters, from people in tears after seeing the film, even from the many who thought it was a poor account of what really happened. I was glad the Vatican gave it a thumb's up because even though I'm not even slightly religious, I would certainly would have felt guilty when I say it was rightly done. And now it has become a family staple for Holy Week viewing alongside The Ten Commandment and Ben Hur.

8) The Patriot (2000)
Great plot--another period piece, plus the family story factor: check. Great lines--from drama to humour: check. Great performances--Mel Gibson's is reason enough: check. Hunk red alert--Heath Ledger: a big, fat check!

7) Goal! (2005)
A game-winning Goal! for the makers of the film.

6) Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
The books are effing expensive so I guess the movie was the next best thing. I was very intrigued when the trailers of the movie first came out. But I never expected for the movie to be that good. What with the voice of Jude Law as Lemony Snicket, Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, Meryl streep as Aunt Josephine...And the children in it were just fabulous--Emily Browning as Violet, Liam Aiken as Klaus, and Kara and Shelby Hoffman as Sunny (ga!). It wasn't a laugh-my-ass-out kinda fun but a damn-that-felt-good kind.5) Finding Nemo (2003)
Now, I certainly had laugh-my-ass-out moments during this one. Probably 75% of the time was because of the unforgettable (pun not intended) exploits of Dory. From "He went that way. Follow me" to "Conscience, am I dead?" to "...his son Fabio." And there were two Pinoys involved in the animation process--in creating Dory and the fishtank, no less (did you see the bahay kubo?) And the lesson in the story wasn't hidden in some allegorical catch--listen to someone who knows better or suffer the consequences if you do otherwise.

4) Moulin Rouge (2001)
Another musical. But I really don't mind. And although I'm not a sucker for un-happy endings, I guess the movie couldn't have ended any other way. I never thought Ewan McGregor, who played Christian, could sing. If so, not even that well. Same goes for Nicole Kidman, who was Satine. But then again, thespians of this caliber are capable of anything. And so they pulled off those duets gloriously well that it was hard to imagine them not singing in their following films.

3) The X-Men movies
--X-Men (2000)
I watched the first installment the day before mid-terms exams started during one of those college semesters. I couldn't wait for the weekend and had to watch it then and there. It didn't help that when I was young, three years worth of 30-minute Friday evening TV viewings were spent on the X-Men animated show. And the movie version was great. I almost forgot that they had an all-star ensemble because to me, they were just the X-Men. And by the way, I passed my exams.
--X-Men 2: X-Men United (2003)
It was the same cast plus a lot more people. It was more fun--mutants versus humans. But since the humans in this case were of low-as-scum variety, you'd pardon me if I root for the other side. Bad part: Jean Grey died. Good part: Jean Grey died. I just know the writers have something bigger planned for the third and (supposed) last movie. Phoenix , anyone?

2) The Lord of the Rings trilogy
--The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
A couple of months or so before it came out, I started to see it's trailer on just about any channel on TV. Obviously, the whole world was fascinated with the idea of a trilogy coming out December of '01, '02, and '03. By the time I saw the movie, I was caught hook, line, and sinker. And I went crazy about a lot of LOTR stuff. Short of learning the Elvish tongue, I still probably went overboard. Come to think of it, there's an Elvish tongue that--Oookay. Stop.
--The Two Towers (2002)
Another fantastic movie experience. Perhaps for some (me included) it dragged a bit when Treebeard was in the scene but it wasn't his fault if Tolkien wrote him--and the rest of the Ents--that way. But if you were a gazillion years old, you'd probably talk that way, too.
--The Return of the King (2003)
All the people who worked on the trilogy--from the actors to the crew to the seemingly millions of extras--finally got their well deserved, albeit expected, Oscar Best Picture honors in this one. I won't name names because I'm sure each and every one of them did a splendid job wherever aspect of filmmaking they were involved in to piece together this masterpiece. There were two words my cyberfriends described the LOTR: ROTK experience. Some people might get offended by the term so if you wanna know what it is, you can call me, send me a text message or an e-mail, post a comment, what have you.

1) Armageddon (1998)
Ad astra per astera.

There's a good likelihood that all the titles in this list do not appear in a critic's list of favorites but I've never claimed to be one. I just have pure good fun whenever I have the time to watch any of these.

(Originally posted at The Kookie Jar.)